All,
My K2, serial no. 05625 is complete and has been on the air for three weeks today, but I'm still in the process of adding accessories. I've mostly run it on 80 and 40 m with excellent results. One question I have for the group- Has anyone found a need for protecting the vertically mounted toroid inductors from mechanical shock events during portable operations? If so, what staking material is recommended? I am concerned about degrading exposed conductors with anything I might use for an adhesive. I think the GE Silicone II adhesive I have on hand is used for preventing corona or ionization around high voltage terminals so maybe it would be a good candidate? 73 Mike Mussler AI8Z K2 serial 05625 _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Mike,
Use NOTHING to secure the toroids other than their leads. In the 7+ years of the life of the K2, I have never heard of a failure die to a fractured toroid lead, and there is one that I know of (I built it) that served for a couple years as a mobile rig in the cab of an 18 wheeler - I am certain that one saw more than normal shock and vibration. Any securing compounds can cause damage - be particularly careful of the silicone glues. The GE Silicone II that I have found smells like vinegar and will cause a green corrosion mess when in contact with copper (could even destroy the K2) Elecraft recommends no fixatives for the toroids, and the use of them may void the warranty, so go forth with it at your own peril. 73, Don W3FPR > -----Original Message----- > > All, > My K2, serial no. 05625 is complete and has been on the air for three > weeks today, but I'm still in the process of adding accessories. I've > mostly run it on 80 and 40 m with excellent results. > > One question I have for the group- Has anyone found a need for > protecting the vertically mounted toroid inductors from mechanical shock > events during portable operations? If so, what staking material is > recommended? I am concerned about degrading exposed conductors with > anything I might use for an adhesive. I think the GE Silicone II > adhesive I have on hand is used for preventing corona or ionization > around high voltage terminals so maybe it would be a good candidate? > > 73 > Mike Mussler > AI8Z > K2 serial 05625 > No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.3/700 - Release Date: 2/24/2007 8:14 PM _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Don:
I agree with you that nothing is required to secure the toroids to the K2's PCB, it is not the case that a properly selected silicon compound causes damage. "Neutral cure" or "electronic grade" silicon will not cause damage, as it sets up without emitting the acetic acid given off with the typical RTV found in hardware stores. I ran tests last fall to determine the effect of RTV upon Q and inductance of 4uH toroids, wound on T50-2 cores for the Z10010 4.915 MHz bandpass filter I provide along with the Z90/91 panadapters, where the purchaser plans to use it with a K2. To the best of my ability to read the HP4342A Q-meter, there were no changes in Q or inductance after the neutral cure silicon rubber cured. The particular product I used was a Dow-Corning compound, which gave off a faint smell reminiscent of peppermint. About half the filters I built use it to secure the toroids to the PCB. I abandoned it half-way into the production run as (a) the wire leads, it turned out, were adequate and (b) it was extremely difficult to apply without getting it all over the PCB. I wound up doing post-assembly work with an Xacto knife, trimming pieces of cured RTV from locations they did not belong. I also ran tests to determine the effect of Q-dope on the same inductors and found that the effects were somewhere between negligible and the limit of my ability to measure. (For the newer hams, Q-dope is used to secure windings to a coil form and is basically polystyrene dissolved in toluene.) I decided to Q-dope the majority of the inductors I wound for about 35 filters (140 total toroids) as method of assisting the long term stability of the Z10010 filter, which is a bit touchy if the flat nose and symmetrical flanks are to be maintained. A few filters were assembled without Q-dope as a comparison, and they seem to work just as well. Still, as I said at the start of this message, I agree 100% with Don't recommendations--don't use either RTV or Q-dope in your K2 assembly. Jack K8ZOA www.cliftonlaboratories.com Don Wilhelm wrote: > Mike, > > Use NOTHING to secure the toroids other than their leads. In the 7+ years > of the life of the K2, I have never heard of a failure die to a fractured > toroid lead, and there is one that I know of (I built it) that served for a > couple years as a mobile rig in the cab of an 18 wheeler - I am certain that > one saw more than normal shock and vibration. > > Any securing compounds can cause damage - be particularly careful of the > silicone glues. The GE Silicone II that I have found smells like vinegar > and will cause a green corrosion mess when in contact with copper (could > even destroy the K2) > > Elecraft recommends no fixatives for the toroids, and the use of them may > void the warranty, so go forth with it at your own peril. > > 73, > Don W3FPR > > >> -----Original Message----- >> >> All, >> My K2, serial no. 05625 is complete and has been on the air for three >> weeks today, but I'm still in the process of adding accessories. I've >> mostly run it on 80 and 40 m with excellent results. >> >> One question I have for the group- Has anyone found a need for >> protecting the vertically mounted toroid inductors from mechanical shock >> events during portable operations? If so, what staking material is >> recommended? I am concerned about degrading exposed conductors with >> anything I might use for an adhesive. I think the GE Silicone II >> adhesive I have on hand is used for preventing corona or ionization >> around high voltage terminals so maybe it would be a good candidate? >> >> 73 >> Mike Mussler >> AI8Z >> K2 serial 05625 >> >> > -- > No virus found in this outgoing message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.3/700 - Release Date: 2/24/2007 > 8:14 PM > > _______________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Post to: [hidden email] > You must be a subscriber to post to the list. > Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm > Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com > > Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
In reply to this post by mussler
Don:
The material I used is Dow-Corning 748, identified as a "non corrosive" "food grade" product. If you find yourself in need of an electronics-compatible sealant, I can recommend it. I ordered the D-C 748 from McMaster-Carr, and here's how they describe it: *748 Noncorrosive— *Use where low odor is desirable. Bonds to metal, plastic, glass, and rigid PVC. Resists moisture and weather and works with corrosion-sensitive electrical and electronic equipment. Begins to harden in 30 minutes. Temp. range is -67° to +350° F. Complies with FDA regulation 21 CFR 177.2600 covering indirect food contact. UL listed. A 3 ounce tube is $7.48, so you will pay quite a bit more than the hardware store stuff, but it does exactly what you need in an electronic sealant. There are other D-C electronic sealants with different viscosity. The 748 is similar to standard RTV in viscosity and handling. Jack K8ZOA www.cliftonlaboratories.com Don Wilhelm wrote: > Jack, > > Thanks for the additional comments. > The original post had specified the GE Silicone II adhesive that he > had on hand. In my experience that is not a 'properly selected > silicon compound'. > > The last tube I had of that I started to use on some terminals on an > aluminum vertical - well I had a copper wire attached, and it turned a > sickly green within two weeks. I had to scrape it all off (a tough > job), use new hardware and wire. I vowed never to use any that was > not specifically marked as 'electronic grade'. > > 73, > Don W3FPR > > -----Original Message----- > > Don: > > I agree with you that nothing is required to secure the toroids > to the K2's PCB, it is not the case that a properly selected > silicon compound causes damage. > > "Neutral cure" or "electronic grade" silicon will not cause > damage, as it sets up without emitting the acetic acid given off > with the typical RTV found in hardware stores. I ran tests last > fall to determine the effect of RTV upon Q and inductance of 4uH > toroids, wound on T50-2 cores for the Z10010 4.915 MHz bandpass > filter I provide along with the Z90/91 panadapters, where the > purchaser plans to use it with a K2. To the best of my ability to > read the HP4342A Q-meter, there were no changes in Q or inductance > after the neutral cure silicon rubber cured. The particular > product I used was a Dow-Corning compound, which gave off a faint > smell reminiscent of peppermint. About half the filters I built > use it to secure the toroids to the PCB. I abandoned it half-way > into the production run as (a) the wire leads, it turned out, were > adequate and (b) it was extremely difficult to apply without > getting it all over the PCB. I wound up doing post-assembly work > with an Xacto knife, trimming pieces of cured RTV from locations > they did not belong. > > I also ran tests to determine the effect of Q-dope on the same > inductors and found that the effects were somewhere between > negligible and the limit of my ability to measure. (For the newer > hams, Q-dope is used to secure windings to a coil form and is > basically polystyrene dissolved in toluene.) I decided to Q-dope > the majority of the inductors I wound for about 35 filters (140 > total toroids) as method of assisting the long term stability of > the Z10010 filter, which is a bit touchy if the flat nose and > symmetrical flanks are to be maintained. A few filters were > assembled without Q-dope as a comparison, and they seem to work > just as well. > > Still, as I said at the start of this message, I agree 100% with > Don't recommendations--don't use either RTV or Q-dope in your K2 > assembly. > > Jack K8ZOA > www.cliftonlaboratories.com > > Don Wilhelm wrote: >> Mike, >> >> Use NOTHING to secure the toroids other than their leads. In the 7+ years >> of the life of the K2, I have never heard of a failure die to a fractured >> toroid lead, and there is one that I know of (I built it) that served for a >> couple years as a mobile rig in the cab of an 18 wheeler - I am certain that >> one saw more than normal shock and vibration. >> >> Any securing compounds can cause damage - be particularly careful of the >> silicone glues. The GE Silicone II that I have found smells like vinegar >> and will cause a green corrosion mess when in contact with copper (could >> even destroy the K2) >> >> Elecraft recommends no fixatives for the toroids, and the use of them may >> void the warranty, so go forth with it at your own peril. >> >> 73, >> Don W3FPR >> >> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> >>> All, >>> My K2, serial no. 05625 is complete and has been on the air for three >>> weeks today, but I'm still in the process of adding accessories. I've >>> mostly run it on 80 and 40 m with excellent results. >>> >>> One question I have for the group- Has anyone found a need for >>> protecting the vertically mounted toroid inductors from mechanical shock >>> events during portable operations? If so, what staking material is >>> recommended? I am concerned about degrading exposed conductors with >>> anything I might use for an adhesive. I think the GE Silicone II >>> adhesive I have on hand is used for preventing corona or ionization >>> around high voltage terminals so maybe it would be a good candidate? >>> >>> 73 >>> Mike Mussler >>> AI8Z >>> K2 serial 05625 >>> >>> >> -- >> No virus found in this outgoing message. >> Checked by AVG Free Edition. >> Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.3/700 - Release Date: 2/24/2007 >> 8:14 PM >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Elecraft mailing list >> Post to: [hidden email] >> You must be a subscriber to post to the list. >> Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): >> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft >> >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm >> Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com >> >> > Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Since toroid inductors are used throughout the K2, and since few other
topics generate as much discussion and the care and feeding of toroid-wound inductors, I wanted to mention that Andy, G4OEP, has recently completed an interesting study of the effect of turns spacing upon inductance and distributed capacitance, which may be read at http://g4oep.atspace.com/coil/coil.htm. I also recommend Andy's other work, linked at his home page http://g4oep.atspace.com/index.htm, I've also added a new page to my site showing the effect of voltage on a variety of ceramic capacitors. http://www.cliftonlaboratories.com/capacitor_voltage_change.htm. It provides at least a start of an answer to the question "when is a 0.1uF capacitor not a 0.1uF capacitor"? Jack K8ZOA www.cliftonlaboratories.com _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Jack,
Sounds interesting but the link in your e-mail (http://g4oep.atspace.com/coil/coil.htm) does not work for me. Tom KG3V Quoting Jack Smith <[hidden email]>: > Since toroid inductors are used throughout the K2, and since few other > topics generate as much discussion and the care and feeding of > toroid-wound inductors, I wanted to mention that Andy, G4OEP, has > recently completed an interesting study of the effect of turns spacing > upon inductance and distributed capacitance, which may be read at > http://g4oep.atspace.com/coil/coil.htm. > > I also recommend Andy's other work, linked at his home page > http://g4oep.atspace.com/index.htm, > > I've also added a new page to my site showing the effect of voltage on a > variety of ceramic capacitors. > http://www.cliftonlaboratories.com/capacitor_voltage_change.htm. It > provides at least a start of an answer to the question "when is a 0.1uF > capacitor not a 0.1uF capacitor"? > > Jack K8ZOA > www.cliftonlaboratories.com > > > _______________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Post to: [hidden email] > You must be a subscriber to post to the list. > Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm > Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com > _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
The link doesn't work for me either.
There is a reason the Elecraft manuals clearly show the placement and spacing of turns on the inductors. Unless the text says otherwise (such as optimizing the output filter in the KX1) they should be wound just as shown: spacing and number of turns. But it's not high precision work. If the coils *look* like the pictures with about the right amount of core exposed in the gap, and you have *exactly* the number of turns (counting the number of times the wire passes through the center hole), the coil will work FB. One mistake many builders make is in thinking the wire must lie tight against the toroid core all the way around in each wrap, or turn. That's not so. A small gap between the wire and core is fine. Indeed, it's preferable to pulling the wire so tightly the enamel gets scrubbed off or the wire breaks! The second mistake is worrying too much about small breaks in the enamel coating. The core is *not* conductive! Bare wire touching it is not a problem. The problem is when two adjacent turns short out, usually where the wire passes through the center hole, because bare copper on adjacent turns touches. Not only can that cause trouble from the start, if it's a poor contact between turns it can cause an intermittent that is very frustrating to locate later. Again, don't be too aggressive about pulling the wire too tight around the cores. Allow a natural, small, gap to form between the wire and the core as you wind with moderate pressure on the wire. Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- Jack, Sounds interesting but the link in your e-mail (http://g4oep.atspace.com/coil/coil.htm) does not work for me. Tom KG3V _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
At the moment, I cannot reach his sub-pages either, and can only see
Andy's main page http://g4oep.atspace.com/index.htm from my locally cached copy. I've had trouble in the past with connectivity on his page, so I suggest trying again later. As far as cores being non-conductive, that is true for powdered iron (the typical red and yellow cores) but it is not necessarily true for ferrite cores. The bulk resistivity of ferrite materials varies widely from 1E9 down to 50 ohm-cm, and not all (few, actually in my limited experience) ferrite cores are coated with a insulating surface. In addition, many ferrite materials have an extremely high dielectric constant, which suggests the need for a bit of spacing between the core and the winding to reduce distributed capacitance arising from paths through the core (obviously more important when the core is more conductive.) Teflon tape has been used for this purpose. We should not, of course, associate the term "toroid" with a particular core material, as there is a world of difference between powdered iron and ferrite materials, both of which are commonly available in a toroidal form. There's also some degree of unit-to-unit variation in the core material, both powdered iron and ferrite. I wound 140 4uH inductors last October on T50-2 cores and measured every one for Q and inductance with an HP4342A Q-meter. I found about a 10% difference in Q from the best to the worst and around a 5% difference in inductance, to the point where I had to wind more turns than the target and then measure and remove turns to achieve my goal of 4uH +/- 2% with a minimum Q of 225 at 7.9 MHz. I recall FairRite specs a 20% tolerance on permeability for its ferrite materials, but my measurements suggest they actually are quite a bit better than that. And, the majority of ferrite material is used in applications where permeability tolerances are not critical, such as broadband transformers and RFI suppression. As far as following the instructions in the manual, I could not agree more. If you follow the instructions it will work, absent the rare defective component. Jack K8ZOA Ron D'Eau Claire wrote: > The link doesn't work for me either. > > There is a reason the Elecraft manuals clearly show the placement and > spacing of turns on the inductors. Unless the text says otherwise (such as > optimizing the output filter in the KX1) they should be wound just as shown: > spacing and number of turns. But it's not high precision work. If the coils > *look* like the pictures with about the right amount of core exposed in the > gap, and you have *exactly* the number of turns (counting the number of > times the wire passes through the center hole), the coil will work FB. > > One mistake many builders make is in thinking the wire must lie tight > against the toroid core all the way around in each wrap, or turn. That's not > so. A small gap between the wire and core is fine. Indeed, it's preferable > to pulling the wire so tightly the enamel gets scrubbed off or the wire > breaks! > > The second mistake is worrying too much about small breaks in the enamel > coating. The core is *not* conductive! Bare wire touching it is not a > problem. The problem is when two adjacent turns short out, usually where the > wire passes through the center hole, because bare copper on adjacent turns > touches. Not only can that cause trouble from the start, if it's a poor > contact between turns it can cause an intermittent that is very frustrating > to locate later. Again, don't be too aggressive about pulling the wire too > tight around the cores. Allow a natural, small, gap to form between the wire > and the core as you wind with moderate pressure on the wire. > > Ron AC7AC > > -----Original Message----- > Jack, > > Sounds interesting but the link in your e-mail > (http://g4oep.atspace.com/coil/coil.htm) does not work for me. > > Tom KG3V > > _______________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Post to: [hidden email] > You must be a subscriber to post to the list. > Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm > Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com > > Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Your comment about spacing off the core is interesting: my Drake AMU has an
attached balun which is constructed with the wire wound on a former which stands the turns off the core. The wire is 1mm diameter bare wire and does not touch at any point. I have never seen this anywhere else. The core is also bare, ie no visible coating. I do not know its material. David G3UNA ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jack Smith" <[hidden email]> To: "Ron D'Eau Claire" <[hidden email]> Cc: <[hidden email]> Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 6:17 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Toroids - Effect of Winding Spacing on InductanceandDistributed Capacitance > > As far as cores being non-conductive, that is true for powdered iron (the > typical red and yellow cores) but it is not necessarily true for ferrite > cores. The bulk resistivity of ferrite materials varies widely from 1E9 > down to 50 ohm-cm, and not all (few, actually in my limited experience) > ferrite cores are coated with a insulating surface. In addition, many > ferrite materials have an extremely high dielectric constant, which > suggests the need for a bit of spacing between the core and the winding to > reduce distributed capacitance arising from paths through the core > (obviously more important when the core is more _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
David:
I have another message lost in the aether on the subject. I strongly suspect the Drake tuner has a ferrite core balun. Ferrites can be conductive, with a bulk resistivity ranging from 1E9 down to 50 ohm-cm, depending on the material. Hence if the balun is handling any degree of power, there may be a significant turn-to-core voltage that causes arc-over. The voltage turn-to-turn is less, of course, as the total voltage is more or less evenly divided amongst all turns. But if the core has even moderate conductivity, then the total voltage across the first and last turns will appear between the first and last turns, insulated only by the wire insulation. Hence, spacing or wrapping the core is useful. Jack K8ZOA David Cutter wrote: > Your comment about spacing off the core is interesting: my Drake AMU > has an attached balun which is constructed with the wire wound on a > former which stands the turns off the core. The wire is 1mm diameter > bare wire and does not touch at any point. I have never seen this > anywhere else. The core is also bare, ie no visible coating. I do > not know its material. > > David > G3UNA > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jack Smith" > <[hidden email]> > To: "Ron D'Eau Claire" <[hidden email]> > Cc: <[hidden email]> > Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 6:17 PM > Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Toroids - Effect of Winding Spacing on > InductanceandDistributed Capacitance >> >> As far as cores being non-conductive, that is true for powdered iron >> (the typical red and yellow cores) but it is not necessarily true for >> ferrite cores. The bulk resistivity of ferrite materials varies >> widely from 1E9 down to 50 ohm-cm, and not all (few, actually in my >> limited experience) ferrite cores are coated with a insulating >> surface. In addition, many ferrite materials have an extremely high >> dielectric constant, which suggests the need for a bit of spacing >> between the core and the winding to reduce distributed capacitance >> arising from paths through the core (obviously more important when >> the core is more > > _______________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Post to: [hidden email] > You must be a subscriber to post to the list. > Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm > Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com > Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
In reply to this post by Ron D'Eau Claire-2
At the moment, I cannot reach his sub-pages either, and can only see
Andy's main page http://g4oep.atspace.com/index.htm from my locally cached copy. I've had trouble in the past with connectivity on his page, so I suggest trying again later. As far as cores being non-conductive, that is true for powdered iron (the typical red and yellow cores) but it is not necessarily true for ferrite cores. The bulk resistivity of ferrite materials varies widely from 1E9 down to 50 ohm-cm, and not all (few, actually in my limited experience) ferrite cores are coated with a insulating surface. In addition, many ferrite materials have an extremely high dielectric constant, which suggests the need for a bit of spacing between the core and the winding to reduce distributed capacitance arising from paths through the core (obviously more important when the core is more conductive.) Teflon tape has been used for this purpose. We should not, of course, associate the term "toroid" with a particular core material, as there is a world of difference between powdered iron and ferrite materials, both of which are commonly available in a toroidal form. There's also some degree of unit-to-unit variation in the core material, both powdered iron and ferrite. I wound 140 4uH inductors last October on T50-2 cores and measured every one for Q and inductance with an HP4342A Q-meter. I found about a 10% difference in Q from the best to the worst and around a 5% difference in inductance, to the point where I had to wind more turns than the target and then measure and remove turns to achieve my goal of 4uH +/- 2% with a minimum Q of 225 at 7.9 MHz. I recall FairRite specs a 20% tolerance on permeability for its ferrite materials, but my measurements suggest they actually are quite a bit better than that. And, the majority of ferrite material is used in applications where permeability tolerances are not critical, such as broadband transformers and RFI suppression. As far as following the instructions in the manual, I could not agree more. If you follow the instructions it will work, absent the rare defective component. Jack K8ZOA Ron D'Eau Claire wrote: > The link doesn't work for me either. > > There is a reason the Elecraft manuals clearly show the placement and > spacing of turns on the inductors. Unless the text says otherwise (such as > optimizing the output filter in the KX1) they should be wound just as shown: > spacing and number of turns. But it's not high precision work. If the coils > *look* like the pictures with about the right amount of core exposed in the > gap, and you have *exactly* the number of turns (counting the number of > times the wire passes through the center hole), the coil will work FB. > > One mistake many builders make is in thinking the wire must lie tight > against the toroid core all the way around in each wrap, or turn. That's not > so. A small gap between the wire and core is fine. Indeed, it's preferable > to pulling the wire so tightly the enamel gets scrubbed off or the wire > breaks! > > The second mistake is worrying too much about small breaks in the enamel > coating. The core is *not* conductive! Bare wire touching it is not a > problem. The problem is when two adjacent turns short out, usually where the > wire passes through the center hole, because bare copper on adjacent turns > touches. Not only can that cause trouble from the start, if it's a poor > contact between turns it can cause an intermittent that is very frustrating > to locate later. Again, don't be too aggressive about pulling the wire too > tight around the cores. Allow a natural, small, gap to form between the wire > and the core as you wind with moderate pressure on the wire. > > Ron AC7AC > > -----Original Message----- > Jack, > > Sounds interesting but the link in your e-mail > (http://g4oep.atspace.com/coil/coil.htm) does not work for me. > > Tom KG3V > > _______________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Post to: [hidden email] > You must be a subscriber to post to the list. > Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm > Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com > > _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
In reply to this post by Ron D'Eau Claire-2
I'm resending this post as it has not surfaced after a half hour. Slight
edits from first version. At the moment, I cannot reach his sub-pages either, and can only see Andy's main page http://g4oep.atspace.com/index.htm from my locally cached copy. I've had trouble in the past with connectivity on his page, so I suggest trying again later. As far as cores being non-conductive, that is true for powdered iron (the typical red and yellow cores) but it is not necessarily true for ferrite cores. The bulk resistivity of ferrite materials varies widely from 1E9 down to 50 ohm-cm, and not all (few, actually in my limited experience) ferrite cores are coated with a insulating surface. In addition, many ferrite materials have an extremely high dielectric constant, which suggests the need for a bit of spacing between the core and the winding to reduce distributed capacitance arising from paths through the core (obviously more important when the core is more conductive.) Teflon tape has been used for this purpose. In addition, if the core is conductive, then the total voltage across the winding appears between the start and finish turns, so insulation or spacing may be necessary to avoid rupturing the insulation. We should not, of course, associate the term "toroid" with a particular core material, as there is a world of difference between powdered iron and ferrite materials, both of which are commonly available in a toroidal form. There's also some degree of unit-to-unit variation in the core material, both powdered iron and ferrite. I wound 140 4uH inductors last October on T50-2 cores and measured every one for Q and inductance with an HP4342A Q-meter. I found about a 10% difference in Q from the best to the worst and around a 5% difference in inductance, to the point where I had to wind more turns than the target and then measure and remove turns to achieve my goal of 4uH +/- 2% with a minimum Q of 225 at 7.9 MHz. I recall FairRite specs a 20% tolerance on permeability for its ferrite materials, but my measurements suggest they actually are quite a bit better than that. And, the majority of ferrite material is used in applications where permeability tolerances are not critical, such as broadband transformers and RFI suppression. As far as following the instructions in the manual, I could not agree more. If you follow the instructions it will work, absent the rare defective component. Jack K8ZOA Ron D'Eau Claire wrote: > The link doesn't work for me either. > > There is a reason the Elecraft manuals clearly show the placement and > spacing of turns on the inductors. Unless the text says otherwise (such as > optimizing the output filter in the KX1) they should be wound just as shown: > spacing and number of turns. But it's not high precision work. If the coils > *look* like the pictures with about the right amount of core exposed in the > gap, and you have *exactly* the number of turns (counting the number of > times the wire passes through the center hole), the coil will work FB. > > One mistake many builders make is in thinking the wire must lie tight > against the toroid core all the way around in each wrap, or turn. That's not > so. A small gap between the wire and core is fine. Indeed, it's preferable > to pulling the wire so tightly the enamel gets scrubbed off or the wire > breaks! > > The second mistake is worrying too much about small breaks in the enamel > coating. The core is *not* conductive! Bare wire touching it is not a > problem. The problem is when two adjacent turns short out, usually where the > wire passes through the center hole, because bare copper on adjacent turns > touches. Not only can that cause trouble from the start, if it's a poor > contact between turns it can cause an intermittent that is very frustrating > to locate later. Again, don't be too aggressive about pulling the wire too > tight around the cores. Allow a natural, small, gap to form between the wire > and the core as you wind with moderate pressure on the wire. > > Ron AC7AC > > -----Original Message----- > Jack, > > Sounds interesting but the link in your e-mail > (http://g4oep.atspace.com/coil/coil.htm) does not work for me. > > Tom KG3V > > _______________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Post to: [hidden email] > You must be a subscriber to post to the list. > Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm > Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com > > _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
As of now (1600 EST), I can access Andy's sites.
http://g4oep.atspace.com/coil/coil.htm http://g4oep.atspace.com/index.htm Jack K8ZOA > _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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